The River Country campaign is calling on the Victorian Government to stop undermining the Murray-Darling Basin Plan (MDBP). City and country people are rising up to demand that Murray-Darling Rivers are kept alive!

The Federal Governments is trying to reduce the amount of environmental water that was promised for our precious Red Gum forests. Last year the NSW Government was accused of corruption and allowing water theft to occur, and now Victorian Minister for water Lisa Neville has decided to side with NSW by threatening to walk away from the MDBP.

That's why last month, people from around Victoria came together on the steps of Victorian Parliament to call on Daniel Andrews and the Victorian Government to stick up for the Murray and deliver the water that was promised to our fragile Red Gum ecosystems.

National environment group Friends of the Earth has expressed disappointment at the announcement that the Andrews government is proceeding with a trial led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to convert Victorian brown coal into liquid hydrogen for export.

There are many significant problems with this project:

“Firstly, it is most unlikely it will ever move to commercial phase. This project will only proceed if carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is employed” said Friends of the Earth campaigns co-ordinator Cam Walker.

Friends of the Earth "disappointed" with major delay to Victoria's climate targets

National environment group Friends of the Earth have expressed disappointment regarding a major delay to state climate change policy.

The process for setting Victoria's first interim Emissions Reduction Targets has been delayed by almost a year.

"The Andrews government promised to set the state's first Emissions Reduction Targets this year, but that process has been delayed by almost a year," said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth's climate change spokesperson.

"With alarming melting of the polar icecaps and autumn bushfires, the Andrews government doesn't have time to waste on climate change."

"Victorians who are concerned about climate change will be disappointed by the delay and will look to Premier Daniel Andrews to ensure climate change is a feature of the May budget."

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Andrews government to place a moratorium on logging in sensitive areas under new forestry arrangements that are expected to be announced this week and publicly reject logging industry calls to log Victoria’s National Parks.

Friends of the Earth has welcomed New South Wales Labor’s announcement that they will not sign off on Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) unless a full assessment of the science underpinning the decades-old Agreements is completed.

NSW Labor has demanded that climate change be considered as part of a full scientific and environmental impact assessment of the RFAs[1].

Friends of the Earth is calling on the Victorian Labor government to assess impacts on biodiversity and climate change of logging under the existing RFAs.

Big batteries in Ballarat, Kerang to help Vic meet climate & energy goals: Will the opposition back smart energy investments?

Victoria has entered the energy storage race with an announcement that the Andrews government will build large-scale batteries in Ballarat and Kerang. But will the Matthew Guy opposition back smart energy investments?

Friends of the Earth welcomes the announcement and says big batteries in Ballarat and Kerang will help Victoria meet climate and energy targets.

"The Turnbull government's do-nothing approach to climate change means we need to see more leadership from Victoria, and that's what we're seeing with this announcement from the Andrews Labor government" said Leigh Ewbank, Friends of the Earth's climate change spokesperson.

"Building batteries in Ballarat and Kerang will strengthen Victoria's energy system while helping the state meet legislated targets of 40 percent renewable energy by 2025 and zero emissions by 2050."

Energy policy is a point of difference between the Daniel Andrews government and Matthew Guy opposition as Victoria heads to a state election in eight months time.

The community charter of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) states that DELWP will work with regional communities to support liveable, inclusive and sustainable communities and thriving natural environments and that the charter is only as good as its implementation on the ground.

Talk to regional communities experiencing the implementation of logging on the ground from Victoria's Central Highlands to far East Gippsland and you will hear the same story over and over again . . .

As Victorian’s head to the polls this November, the issue of native forest logging is looking increasingly likely to feature as a major environmental issue in the state election campaign.

The overwhelming majority of Victorian voters support protection of native forests, in fact over 90% of Victorian’s want public forests protected for wildlife, tourism, recreation and a safe climate, and only 7% believe public forests should be logged for wood and paper products![1]

Friends of the Earth’s forest campaigners have been hitting the streets in several suburban electorates recently and in our conversations with voters we’re finding people are concerned with economic issues relating to logging and the industry's reliance on public money.

Friends of the Earth acknowledge that we meet and work on the land of the Wurundjeri people and that sovereignty of the land of the Kulin Nation were never ceded. We pay respect to their Elders, past and present, and acknowledge the pivotal role that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the Australian community.